milliain



2 SheetsSheet 1.

(No Model.)

T. G. MILLIGAN.

HOUSE DOOR LETTER BOX. No. 476,669. Patented June '7, 1892.

6x 1227302, p /z2/e7220r Zy mm m: acims Ps'rsns co., worn-Lama, WASHIVGTLN (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. T. G. MILLIGAN. HOUSE DOOR LETTER BOX.

Patented June '7, 1892.

I l In Unrrnn STATES PATENT rricn.

THOMAS G. MILLIGAN, OF \VASI'IINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

HOUSE-DOOR LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 476,669,6lated June 7, 1892.

Application filed April 3, 1891. Serial No, 388,186- (No model) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS G. MILLIGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of .Vashington, District of Columbia, have invented a Compartment Mail-Box for Receiving and Delivering Mail, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in mail-boxes.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved house letter-box which will successfully meet all the requirements of a perfect box, which will receive separately the mail for the house and the outgoing mail, and which will be simple, durable, and cheap in construction, and composed of a minimum number of parts, and reliable and sure in action, and which will protect the mail against unauthorized molestation and against the elements.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved. house or other mail-box provided with improved means whereby the presence in the box of outgoing mail, or mail to be collected by the carrier,will be indicated, so that the carrier can tell at a glance whether or not to open the box. 7

These and other objects are accomplished by and my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in combinations of parts more fully and specifically described and pointed out hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the improved box shown attached to a door. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the box from the outside. Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross-section thereof.

In the drawings, 10 indicates the panel of a door, having a suitable opening cut therein. The box is preferably formed in two vertical sections 13 14:, respectively, for the outgoing and house mail, and which, when the box is applied to a door, are located, respectively, at the outer and inner sides of the door and are secured in position by suitable meanssuch as the hooks or bolts ii -securing the two sections or compartments together at the opening through the door. The upper portions of the inner sides of the two compartments are open, as shown, at the opening through the door. The lower portions of the compartments are separated by the vertical partition 4, preferably having inclined sides, as shown, to direct the mail-matter to the proper compartments. The swinging deflector or partition 4 is hinged at its lower edge on the top edge of the stationary partition 4, so as to swing back and forth through the opening in the door and the inner sides of the compartments to close either compartment to the reception of mail and direct the same into the other compartment. The upper end of the partition 4: rests against the upper portion of the outer wall of the compartment it is closing just beneath the receiving-opening of the compartment. This swinging compartment is provided with a suitable spring, such as 15, yieldingly and normally holding the partition in position shown by full lines, Fig. 1, closing the upper end of the outer compartment 13, and so as to direct mail received from the outside into the inner or house compartment 14. Suitable means are provided to bperate the swinging partition from the eiterior of the box, so that the inner compartment will be closed, (see dotted lines, Fig. 1,) and mail deposited in inner compartment will be directed into outer compartment, this means preferably consisting of rod 5, extendingfrom the partitionet through side of the inner compartment, as shown.

The inner or house-mail compartment 14; is provided with the top mail-receiving opening, normally closed by door 8, and with the bottom opening for removing mail, normally closed by door 7, having a suitable catch or look.

The outer or outgoing-mail compartment 13 is provided with a suitable top mail-receiving opening normally closed by sliding door 1, confined in suitable ways under the top of the box. This door is provided with a transverse opening 16, which registers with the boxopening when the door is pulled out (see dotted lines) for the passage of mail, but which is located under the top of the box when the door is pushed up in its normal position, whereby the box is closed against entrance of snow, rain, or dirt.

The outer compartment for outgoing mail is provided with the side opening having swinging side door 6, provided with a suitable lock to be opened by the carrier when collooting mail. This door is provided with curved stop-arm 17.

ICO

Thelower front of theouter oroutgoing-mail compartment is provided with a glass or other transparent panel 2. An indicator or signal is provided to appear behind this panel when the compartment 13 contains mail to be collected. This indicating device preferably consists of a vertically-movable plate 3 in guides behind said panel and loosely connnected, as by link 18, to free end of a vertically-movable counterweighted bottom plate 11 in the lower portion of compartment 13 and pivoted at 19 and having counter-weight 20 at its end opposite said free end. The plate 8 is painted red or otherwise treated so as to be readily distinguished at a distance by a carrier. The movable bottom 11 is so weighted that its normal position is shown by full lines, Fig. 1, with free end raised and also the indicatorplate raised above and so as not to show through the glass panel.

A person wishing to drop a letter in the box to be collected draws the movable partition 4 over by rod 5 and raises the door 8 and drops the letter, and the movable partition guides the letter onto free end of bottom 11, thereby depressing said bottom and drawing down plate 3, so that the carrier will see that the box contains a letter to be collected, and when he removes the mail the movable bottom returns to its normal position. YVhen the rod 5 is released, the movable partition returns to its normal position under action of its sprin The carrier deposits house-mail by opening door 1 and dropping in the mail, and the partition 4: guides it into the bottom of inner compartment 14, from where it can be removed from the inside of the house.

The many and great advantages and great utility of this invention are obvious without explanation.

It is evident that this box might be secured to other parts than a door and that various changes might be made in the forms, arrangements, and constructions of the parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I do not wish to limit myself to the exact construction shown and set forth, but consider myself entitled to all such changes as fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim is- 1. A mail-box having a compartment for house-mail, having an opening through which the mail can be removed, and a compartment for outgoing mail, provided with the opening through which the carrier can remove the mail, said compartments communicating, said compartments each having a receiving-opening and a swinging partition or deflector to close either compartment and direct the mail into the other comparment, arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

2. The mail-box having compartments for outgoing and delivered mail, provided with suitable openings, and the swinging deflector or partition arranged to close either compartment and direct the received mail into the other, said deflector provided with a spring yieldingly holding it in position to close the compartment for outgoing mail and so as to direct the delivered mail into the proper compartment and provided with means whereby it can be swung to direct outgoing mail into the proper compartment, arranged to operate substantially as described and set forth.

3. In a letter'box formed of two vertical sections, suitable means for uniting the same, the interiors of the sections communicating at the top, a central vertical partition separating the lower portions of the sections, and a swinging deflector to direct the mail received into the upper portion of either section into the other section.

4. A letter-box provided with inner and outer compartments and an internal swinging partition arranged to direct letters received in the upper portion of the outer compartment into the lower compartment and provided with means whereby it can be swung so as to direct letters received into the upper part of the inner compartment into the outer compartment, substantially as set forth.

5. A mail-box having an inclined top cut away at its lower edge, so as to leave an opening into the box between the upper end of the side of the box and the lower edge of the top, ways on the under side of the top, and the slide located in said ways and extending over said opening and resting on the upper edge of the side of the box, so as to normally close the opening, and provided with the opening near its upper end and the handle at its outer end.

6. A letter-box consisting of the two vertical sections, the central vertical partition separating the lower portions of the two sections, the swinging vertical partition hinged at its lower edge on the top of said first-mentioned partition and provided with a spring to yieldingly hold it swung to its limit in one direction, and means connected to said swinging partition and extending to the exterior, so that the partition can be swung to its limit of movement in the opposite direction, each section being provided with a letter-receiving opening at its top and with a letter-removing opening at its lower portion.

7. The letter-box having two compartments, each provided with a letter-receiving opening at the top, and the swinging partition provided with a spring normally yieldingly hold ing the partition, so as to direct the house or delivered letters received into the opening of the outer compartment into the inner compartment, and the rod connected with said partition,whereby it can be swung free, so as to direct letters received into the opening of the inner compartment into the outer compartment. v

S. In a letter-box, the combination of the inner and outer compartments, the inner compartment provided with openings at the top and bottom, respectively, for inserting and removing mail from the inside of the house, the outer compartment being provided with openings at its upper and lower portion, the hinged partition at the central portion of the born-the central rigid partition forming guides for the mail, the outer section having a movable bottom plate to receive the mail, and a signal or an indicator operated by the movement of said plate,'substantially as described.

9. The house letter-box composed of the two vertical compartments having their separate top receivingopenings and provided with mail-removing openings, the stationary vertical partition separating the lower portions of the compartments, and the swinging partition hinged to and forming an upward extension from said stationary partition and arranged to guide the letters received into their proper compartments, substantially as described.

lO. The-house letter-box having two compartments, respectively, for outgoing and house mail, the swinging partition yieldingly held in position to direct the house-mail into its proper compartment and provided with means extending to the exterior of the housemail compartment, by which said partition can be swung to direct outgoingmailinserted at the top of the house-mail compartment into the other compartment, substantially as described.

11. The mail-box having the swinging partition arranged within the box to direct the mail into either side of the bottom of the box, means yieldingly holding said partition swung to its limit in one direction, and means, substantially as described, whereby the partition can be swung to direct the mail to the other side of the bottom.

12. A mail-box having a glass-covered opening at its outer side, vertical ways on the inner side of the box at said opening, a signalplate confined in said ways to move from or behind said opening, a bottom plate for said box pivoted between its ends, so that the mail received will fall on and depress its free end, said plate being connected to said free end by a link to operate as described, the opposite end of said bottom plate being counterweighted, substantially as described.

13. A mail-box having its bottom divided into two compartments, means, substantially as described, whereby the house and outgoing mails are directed to their proper compartments, a balanced bottom plate in one compartment to receive the mail, and an indicator operated by said plate to show when the compartment contains mail, substantially as described.

THOMAS G. MILLIGAN.

Witnesses:

N. T. MILLER, THOMAS TROY. 

